COLORADO SPRINGS MAN SENTENCED TO SIX MONTHS IMPRISONMENT FOR ILLEGALLY COLLECTING AND SELLING GOVERNMENT PROPERTY (08-30-12)

DENVER – Robert “Larry” Caskey, age 28, of Colorado Springs, was sentenced this week by U.S. Magistrate Judge Craig B. Shaffer to serve six months in federal prison and pay $2,200 in restitution to the federal government for illegally collecting and selling moss rock taken from public lands within the Royal Gorge Field Office area, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Land Management announced. Caskey was ordered to report to prison on or before September 5, 2012.

Caskey was charged on December 19, 2011 in U.S. District Court in Colorado Springs. He pled guilty to illegal theft of government property and damaging and removing government property without authorization on June 6, 2012. He was sentenced on August 22, 2012.

In 2010, a member of the public spotted an individual illegally removing moss rock from public lands. The individual took photos and reported the incident to the BLM. The BLM initiated an investigation, which later discovered that Caskey was responsible for the theft of the moss rock. It was also determined that the defendant was selling the rock commercially. Moss rock is worth as much as $200-$300 a ton commercially.

To report an incident occurring on BLM public lands, please contact your local BLM Office, call (303) 239-3803, or contact us at CO_Law@blm.gov

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Office of Law Enforcement.

Caskey was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Brown.

For more information about permitting, please contact your local BLM office. Additionally, the BLM would like to remind the public that firewood cut using a personal use firewood permit cannot be sold commercially.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.